A platform to stop ecological destruction

Photo: Ramon Kagie on Unsplash

ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. This bottom-up initiative was collected by Burcu Borhan Türeli, Esin Düzel and Ayşe Gül Altınay within ACCTING’s mapping of inspiring practice cases, within the climate change Research Line. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives.

Muğla Environment Platform, Turkey

A common mission to protect nature

Muğla Environment Platform (MUÇEP) is an initiative developed by citizens and non-governmental organizations from all Turkish cities to protect nature and common living spaces in the Muğla region. The common platform is an umbrella organization made up of 32 organizations (local seed exchange associations, medical associations, beekeepers associations, local groups, and municipal committees) in the greater Muğla area, one of Turkey’s most popular tourist destinations like the well-known town of Bodrum and home to luxury resorts.

A campaign to cancel a zoning plan

The project launched a significant petition campaign in Mula’s Gökova Special Environmental Protection Area aiming to revoke a zoning plan; The proposed plan ignored the effects of excessive tourist visitation and instead proposed the construction of hotels in the region. According to experts, such buildings will lead to catastrophic environmental destruction since the area is located in a designated first-degree earthquake region.

In the 2021 wildfires, MUÇEP mobilized their networks to coordinate volunteers and to promote their case. The initiative was able to gather thousands of individual petitions as part of the campaign which later were submitted to the Mula Environment Directorate. The joint effort significantly impacted on the area.

Find out more here.

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